Last season, the Vanderbilt Commodores sent Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama home with a 40-35 loss. So, this time around, Crimson Tide was all geared up to seek revenge. Did DeBoer and Co. achieve it? Yes. Alabama took down Vanderbilt 30-14 at home. DeBoer’s boys put the finishing touch on the game late in the fourth with a 16-play, 69-yard drive lasting 8:29, stretching Vanderbilt’s deficit to two scores. The win moved Alabama to 4-1 on the season. DeBoer’s team may be on a roll with four straight victories, but Ty Simpson’s postgame comments had everyone questioning who really came out on top. After all, he had to take the blame himself.  

On October 4, Director of Recruiting & Managing Editor for Touchdown Alabama, Justin Smith, posted a clip of Simpson’s post-game interview. The caption read, “Ty Simpson takes responsibility for hiccups on offense for Alabama vs. Vanderbilt.” What did DeBoer’s quarterback say? “You know, it’s one, like, all coming together and having good plays, right, is always great. I think that’s what killed us in the first half, right, and it’s really my fault,” Simpson took the accountability.

The Tide came up short on third down, and as he often does, DeBoer chose to go for it on fourth rather than attempt a long field goal. But the aggressive call backfired. Simpson dropped back and fired a pass downfield to his left, but it never reached its intended target. Vanderbilt defensive back Martel Hight jumped the route, snagging the ball for Alabama’s first turnover of the season, and Simpson’s first interception.

The Alabama quarterback sounded guilty: “You know, I’m looking at the stats. We had too many negative plays from, you know, holdings. I took four sacks. Like, I can’t do that. I got to throw the ball away. And just negative plays in general, right? I think that’s what kind of set us back.” The offensive line collapsed. Simpson was sacked on first down, courtesy of Wilkin Formby’s missed block, and the Tide were pinned deep on their own punt. But before taking accountability for his actions post-game, Simpson did damage control on the gridiron itself.

With 1:22 left in the first half, Simpson took a calm shotgun snap, trailing by a touchdown and facing a fired-up Vanderbilt defense. Behind by seven and with momentum against him, Simpson orchestrated a six-play, 78-yard drive that tied the game, ignited the team, and swung the momentum, a clutch sequence that not only sparked the eventual win but could also salvage the season. That’s how the Vanderbilt head coach’s plan to break Simpson’s confidence did not work out. 

Clark Lea’s mind games got squashed in front of Ty Simpson’s heroic feat

Back of the mind, Vanderbilt played the goal to end the drought. After all, the Commodores have not beaten Alabama in Tuscaloosa since 1984. It’s the same program that handed DeBoer’s Alabama the worst loss in the program’s history in 1906. Do you remember the score? Crimson Tide suffered a blowout 78-0 loss. Since 1903, DeBoer’s program has sealed 64 wins over the Commodores. But so what? They lost track in 2024. And what better opportunity for Lea and Co. to stir up some fear before the big face-off? They had put Simpson and his mates on high alert. 

Before the game, the Vanderbilt head coach said, “I don’t know that history. I don’t. Usually, that’s me and Laura talking after the game and saying, ‘Hey, you know, some of these have been like, you know, whatever it was 1918 when we scored 70, whatever points.’ And my response to that is, like, what in the world were they doing in 1918 to be able to score that many points, that tempo offense and spread. I mean, my God, so we just don’t, we don’t pay a lot of attention to that. We’re creating our own history here.”

But Simpson did not give in to the pressure. Well, after the Alabama quarterback’s feat against Georgia, Lea shouldn’t have stirred Kalen DeBoer’s boys. Facing off against Kirby Smart’s boys, Simpson wasted no time making an impact. Slinging touchdowns to Germie Bernard and Isaiah Horton and punching in a rushing score himself, he helped the Tide jump out to a strong lead. 

By halftime, Ty Simpson was 15-of-23 for 192 yards and two passing scores in a fearless first-half showing. While the quarterback’s Heisman buzz goes into overdrive, the Vanderbilt game might dim the hype even a little. All eyes will be on Alabama’s next big encounter against Tennessee.